Gul invites Armenian, Azeri Presidents to Istanbul

PanARMENIAN.Net - Following a landmark visit to Yerevan, where he watched a World Cup qualifying match between the national teams of the two countries in September, Turkish President Abdullah Gul is readying to take another bold step to contribute to regional peace in the Caucasus by soon hosting a trilateral summit with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.



Gul, who introduced his proposal for the trilateral meeting during his meeting with Azerbaijan's visiting President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, received a positive response from the Azerbaijani leader, diplomatic sources said.



Gul has already voiced support for the Moscow talks and expressed hope that it will be followed by other steps, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry, separately, said that a network of relations based on cooperation and mutual trust within the framework of Turkey's proposal for a regional platform could build confidence between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Turkish side will convey its proposal for a trilateral summit to the Armenian side. The exact date and venue of the meeting will be decided later; however, Istanbul has been mentioned as the probable venue.



"The summit may take place in a few months," said a Turkish official on condition of anonymity.



With observers assuming that Turkey's proposal for such a summit is also related to its proactive drive toward handling the Armenian Genocide issue, the summit is likely to take place before April 24.



Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the decision on meeting's venue and date is up to Turkey, adding that agenda of the trilateral summit doesn't necessarily have to be limited to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.



Issues concerning all parties can be discussed during the meeting, the minister said, reiterating support for Turkey's proposal to establish a Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform, Today's Zaman reports.